Every fourth person has problems with defecation. Most often, constipation is to blame for poor eating habits and lack of exercise. To deal with constipation, all you need to do is exercise for 10 minutes every morning and follow a proper diet.
Digestionstarts already on the plate. When you look at a tasty dish - "you are drooling". This saliva mixes with food, making it easier for it to pass through the digestive tract throughstomachand the intestines into the anus. During this journey, products are digested and useful ingredients are absorbed, and unnecessary ingredients are excreted.
Digestion
Successive sections of the digestive tract - like segments of an earthworm - contract and relax, causing food to pass through the esophagus into the stomach and on into the small and large intestines.
- The stomach is responsible for digestion. Thanks to its rhythmic contractions, it mixes food with digestive juice, and then moves it in the form of food slurry into the duodenum. The speed of gastric emptying depends, inter alia, on on what you eat and how much fluids you drink. Protein is the shortest in it, the longest - animal fat.
- The small intestine is almost 3 m long (its beginning is the duodenum). Thanks to pancreatic enzymes, bile and intestinal juices, it is digested (broken down into simpler components) of proteins, carbohydrates and fats.
- Large intestine begins with an ileocecal valve and ends with an anus. He has a fairly simple job to do: soak up water and electrolytes, and form, store, and expel fecal matter.
Go to the doctor when:
- Constipation lasts more than 5 days and is accompanied by abdominal pain and weight loss.
- Cramps or abdominal pain recur throughout the day.
- You will notice blood in your stool.
- After constipation, you get diarrhea or vomiting.
- Constipation occurs after taking certain medications and you suspect that they may be the cause of your bowel problems.
When should constipation bother you?
You digest your food gradually over 12-24 hours, so you usually pass your bowel movements once a day. However, the frequency of bowel movements is an individual matter. So if it happens every 3 days, there's no need to worry, but when you have a bowel movement less than every 72 hours, your stools are very hard and constipated.accompanied by flatulence, abdominal pain, and sometimes vomiting and headaches - you need to react. Otherwise, haemorrhoids (haemorrhoids) will start to cause trouble or the intestines will become inflamed.
How to prevent constipation?
As much as 90 percent In some cases, constipation is caused by dietary mistakes - first of all, a menu containing too little fiber and fluids, and too much meat, sweets and white bread. The reason is sometimes abnormal liver function. If it produces too little bile, which regulates the digestive process, hard fecal matter builds up in the intestines. Constipation is caused by a lack of exercise (less peristalsis) and high levels of calcium in the blood (hard stools). Difficult passing stools also bothers people who take medications, e.g. to lower blood pressure or anti-depressants. Chronic constipation can be a signal of diseases, e.g. diabetes, depression, hypothyroidism, intestinal diverticulosis. Gut activity usually reduces overuse of laxatives. Some doctors see genetics as the cause of obstruction. It turns out that you may inherit a tendency to weaker intestinal peristalsis from your parents.
Constipation - how to get rid of them
It's best to start by talking to your doctor. When it turns out that the cause of constipation is not diseases or medications, but bad habits, change:
- Eat foods that contain fiber that is partially soluble in water (25-40 g daily). There is a lot of it in vegetables, fruits, wholemeal bread and groats. With meals, eat e.g. dried fruit, paddy rice, broccoli, corn.
- Eat at least 1 orange a day, because it contains citric acid - a natural relaxation agent.
- Start the morning with a drink prepared in the evening with 6-8 dried figs or plums covered with warm water (eat the soaked fruit).
- During the day, drink about 2 liters of still mineral water and fruit or vegetable juices (juices should be combined with water in a 1: 1 ratio).
- Avoid carbonated drinks, strong coffee and tea, as well as strong drinks and spicy spices.
- Do not take any laxatives for a long time. From time to time you can reach for example for Duphalac or Lactulosum. You can sprinkle your food with ground flaxseed.
- Exercise regularly (at least 10 minutes in the morning), take a walk (half an hour a day), and do some sport (at least twice a week).
- Go to the toilet as soon as you feel the pressure (holding back leads to habitual constipation).
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